Please help me not hate Freesync

LigTasm

LigTasm

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jul 29, 2011
Messages
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I'm going to ask because I have to be doing something wrong here. I'm on my second Freesync monitor and I can't get it to seem like its working (the options are enabled in both the monitor OSD and in CCC).

I can tell a difference if I turn vsync on and off in games, but Freesync gameplay is so goddamn stuttery and jittery. Games feel 500% better with Freesync off and either no or regular vsync on. With Freesync, I can see every frame that gets rendered especially while panning the camera in games.

Now, I have also had a Gsync monitor and that is what I'm basing my expectations off of, that was incredibly smooth and fluid, nothing like what I'm getting now. I have to be doing something wrong because supposedly both of these tech should work similarly.

FWIW, I'm using an R9 290X with a Corsair HG10, temps never go over 65*C while gaming. Latest 15.7 WHQL drivers. My first Freesync monitor was the Asus MG279Q 144hz IPS with a 35-90hz range. My current monitor is a Samsung U28E590D 4K whcih I think has a range of 40-60hz.
 
Reinstall drivers? Try older drivers? Have you tried a different Displayport cable? Do you have an FPS counter going, so you can make sure you're in the Freesync range?
 
Well, I've tried it across three different machines, both Win 7 and 8.1. I originally had the 15.15(?) driver, then I updated to 15.6 and then 15.7 with no changes.

I have used 5 different DP cables. And yes, I'm in the Freesync range. Nothing seems to change it. Both monitors acted exactly the same. It seems to be opposite of what Gsync did, with that I had no idea what the refresh rate was, with this I can see every single refresh. I'm a little beyond frustrated with how much money I've sunk into this with no hint of what reviews were saying was really good.
 
I have almost the exact same setup as you. I have an OC'd 290 (non-x) with an MG279Q I just picked up a week ago. I've only played GTA5 so far (it's been a busy week) and I have noticed no problems with Fsync on. I've also played a bit of Heroes of the Storm but I have no FPS dips in that game. I use CCC to cap my frame rate to 90fps. in GTA5, I have my settings so that the lowest FPS I hit is ~40.

What games are you playing? If I have them I will check it out. I will also check out some other games I have and try and them to dip to lower end if fsync range.
 
I've gone even further and clean installed the whole OS. How does the vsync setting work? I only have one in game and enabling that cuts my frame rate in half.
 
Is it possible there's an issue with that particular game and Freesync? Just wondering since MikeRotch has it working fine
 
In one of the reviews, it was mentioned that you need to enable freesync in the monitors OSD.

I dont know if your monitor was one of them, but you can check.

Do you get the pop-up that sys freesync is enabled?
 
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The Mac said:
In one of the reviews, it was mentioned that you need to enable freesync in the monitors OSD.

I dont know if your monitor was one of them, but you can check.

Do you get the pop-up that sys freesync is enabled?
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I didn't have any option in CCC until I turned it on in the OSD. Same thing for both monitors. To be clear, it's doing something, just not syncing the way I'm expecting to see.
 
Is there a difference in the FPS with Freesync off and on?
It sounds like the FPS is dropping below 40 FPS.
Steam has an in-game FPS counter if you don't have one installed.
 
I don't know how many ways I can say it , but rest assured I was in the sync range.
 
Is it possible for you to maybe make a twitch video with an osd of some kind so we can see what is happening? Couldn't hurt anyway right
 
I don't think you can see it though, I could try on the weekend. Does vsync have to be on in game to make freesync work?
 
LigTasm said:
I don't know how many ways I can say it , but rest assured I was in the sync range.
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As in 42 FPS or nailed up at 60 FPS?
You basically want to keep your FPS above 50.
The advantage of Freesync over Vsync, is supposed to be that if it's 59 FPS it won't drop down to 45 or 30 and if it's 44 it won't drop down to 30.

It sounds like you are saying that even if it is 60 FPS all the time, it still feels laggy with Freesync on.
You could try capping your FPS to 62 in CCC but I doubt it will make any difference.
 
I'm hovering around 45-55 fps all the time. Definitely not pegging 60. Remember, this is on two different screens and one ranged all the way to 90 as the upper limit.
 
Does it happen if you only use one display at a time? I was just a little confused when you said 2 screens?
 
Might want to detail your system and add it to the OP. There are certain motherboard combos that cause issues with SLi and CrossfireX. x58 if I remember right was a problem child.
 
is a 290x really strong enough to maintain the required frame rates on a 4k display for freesync to work properly? Dont be offended cause i dont know shit about freesync or the other brand. It just wouldn't be my first idea to use a single 290x for 4k, course maybe you lowered the settings enough
 
LigTasm said:
I'm going to ask because I have to be doing something wrong here. I'm on my second Freesync monitor and I can't get it to seem like its working (the options are enabled in both the monitor OSD and in CCC).

I can tell a difference if I turn vsync on and off in games, but Freesync gameplay is so goddamn stuttery and jittery. Games feel 500% better with Freesync off and either no or regular vsync on. With Freesync, I can see every frame that gets rendered especially while panning the camera in games.

Now, I have also had a Gsync monitor and that is what I'm basing my expectations off of, that was incredibly smooth and fluid, nothing like what I'm getting now. I have to be doing something wrong because supposedly both of these tech should work similarly.

FWIW, I'm using an R9 290X with a Corsair HG10, temps never go over 65*C while gaming. Latest 15.7 WHQL drivers. My first Freesync monitor was the Asus MG279Q 144hz IPS with a 35-90hz range. My current monitor is a Samsung U28E590D 4K whcih I think has a range of 40-60hz.
Click to expand...

If you are in the freesync range and you have it on in the control panel and turned on in the monitor's OSD, then it should be smooth.

So if you are having problems then it's either the monitor or your card. You say the first monitor you had was the Asus MG279Q, you know the first batch of them caused problems and they had a recall. And you could be just unlucky and got a faulty monitor when you got the Samsung too.

I just want to make it perfectly clear, Freesync isn't your problem. It's just as smooth as Gsync and I have compared it across a few different monitors.

If you can bring the monitor to a friends house and check to see does it work there. If it works fine then you know it's something in your setup that's wrong. If it doesn't work then you know it's the monitor that's the problem.
 
So basically it has to be my 290x then. I had it in my X99 rig and then migrated it to my 860k that I'm using right now. I also tried it in my friends rig which is an FX6300. I have an R9 270 but it does not support freesync to test with.
 
The first batch of MG279Q had frameskipping issues when set to 144Hz, but was fine at 120Hz. Either way the issue definitely didn't sound like what you're describing here.

Also I know you ruled this out already, but FWIW I wouldn't be surprised if a few games just don't get along with Freesync/GSync. Saints Row IV has this weird bug where if I enable GSync, the game caps FPS to 60, but it doesn't feel like 60 FPS at all, more like 40 something frames with the stutters and jitters that you mentioned. I know it's GSync because as soon as I disable GSync, the problem goes away.
 
Yeah, this is literally every game though. I got a reply on OCN where a guy swapped a 290 for a fury and freesync is not working for him either. I guess more troubleshooting is in order. Btw, the MG279Q won't even run freesync at 120hz, if you put freesync on in the OSD you're capped at 90 which is how I know I got an updated one.
 
Should vsync be enabled either in game or in cat when your in freesync mode ?
 
Spyhawk said:
Should vsync be enabled either in game or in cat when your in freesync mode ?
Click to expand...

I don't know, should it? I tried both ways, I can say with Vsync on I drop to like 15-20fps and everything gets really ugly (with Freesync enabled, with it off it acts as normal).
 
LigTasm said:
So basically it has to be my 290x then. I had it in my X99 rig and then migrated it to my 860k that I'm using right now. I also tried it in my friends rig which is an FX6300. I have an R9 270 but it does not support freesync to test with.
Click to expand...

It still could be the monitors, the only way to be sure is to try another card that supports Freesync or the monitor on another computer. Have you a computer shop near you?

But your last post leads me to believe that it is probably the card. Vsync on and off doesn't make any difference to Freesync unless you go out of the range. You shouldn't notice any visual difference and you definitely shouldn't be dropping to 15-20fps.

The only troubleshooting worth a damn is trying the monitor on another computer.
 
reaper12 said:
It still could be the monitors, the only way to be sure is to try another card that supports Freesync or the monitor on another computer. Have you a computer shop near you?

But your last post leads me to believe that it is probably the card. Vsync on and off doesn't make any difference to Freesync unless you go out of the range. You shouldn't notice any visual difference and you definitely shouldn't be dropping to 15-20fps.

The only troubleshooting worth a damn is trying the monitor on another computer.
Click to expand...

I'll have to get another card then, when I first started troubleshooting I had 3 different machines at my disposal and tried them all, but the only Freesync card I have is the 290X so thats what I used. It is brand new and has given me zero problems so I didn't think anything of it.

EDIT: I tried this morning to maybe get a video of what I'm seeing but I don't have a camera good enough. For example, I went into Dragon Age inquisition and sat in Skyhold which has a lot of static walls around. I made sure I was getting an even 45-50 fps. I made sure Freesync was on. My monitors OSD tells me it is in 3840x2160 60hz Freesync mode. CCC tells me Freesync is on. I'm in the VRR window.

Then I slowly pan the camera around and watch the tearing crawl up the screen on the buildings. Most of the time there are 10+ tearing lines on the screen at once, not the regular 1 you might get with vsync off. Freesync is literally doing nothing that I can tell.
 
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Well, I have now tried the 14.12 drivers just to see what would happen, and interestingly they correctly detect my monitor as a 10-bit panel and 60hz refresh rate (all of the 15.XX say it is an 8-bit with 64hz). This driver didn't have Freesync but the difference in detection is strange.
 
I tested last night with Guild Wars 2, Shroud of the Avatar, Sleeping Dogs, Star Citizen. They all worked fine. The only time there was choppiness was when I dipped below fsync range (35Hz).

I have a dual monitor set up too. My other monitor is a 1920x1200 running over DVI.

Try having the OSD on while you play a game. The OSD actually updates in real-time (slight delay) the refresh rate which should of course match your FPS when it's between 35-90 Hz
 
MikeRotch said:
I tested last night with Guild Wars 2, Shroud of the Avatar, Sleeping Dogs, Star Citizen. They all worked fine. The only time there was choppiness was when I dipped below fsync range (35Hz).

I have a dual monitor set up too. My other monitor is a 1920x1200 running over DVI.

Try having the OSD on while you play a game. The OSD actually updates in real-time (slight delay) the refresh rate which should of course match your FPS when it's between 35-90 Hz
Click to expand...

My OSD doesn't show the actual refresh rate, maybe on the Asus it did. Again, I am not operating outside of the VRR. I have been very careful to select parts of my games where everything is static while I try to get this working.
 
Oh, you switched out your Asus? yah, on the MG279Q it shows it. I am not suggesting you are outside VRR, you have made it very clear you are in fsync range and I believe you. I just said that to see if your monitor is actually doing VRR. If it's not doing VRR, but your GPU thinks it is, I think that's why you're getting such massive tearing.
 
MikeRotch said:
Oh, you switched out your Asus? yah, on the MG279Q it shows it. I am not suggesting you are outside VRR, you have made it very clear you are in fsync range and I believe you. I just said that to see if your monitor is actually doing VRR. If it's not doing VRR, but your GPU thinks it is, I think that's why you're getting such massive tearing.
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I'm about at the limit of my patience on this. My next step is to go and spend a couple hundred more $$ on a different GPU and try that. I switched the monitor because I was having this problem with the Asus originally, but it also had a lot of dead pixels and BLB so I wanted to return it anyhow. I figured I would try a different screen because I didn't want to take a chance getting another bad Asus and the screen itself on this Samsung U28E590D is amazing for a TN panel, looks really good. I have zero issues with the monitor besides that Freesync doesn't work, but I refuse to believe it has anything to do with the screen at this point since it is the same problem with two vastly different monitors.

Just to recap, this is what I've been through:

- X99 rig Windows 7 and 8.1
- Athlon 860K rig, Windows 7 and 8.1
- Friends AMD FX 6300 rig, Windows 7 and 8.1

- Asus MG279Q
- Samsung U28E590D

-Drivers ranging from 15.15 to 15.7.

Literally the only thing left the same is my 290X through all of this, but I'm really feeling like this is a driver issue because none of the 15 series are detecting my monitor correctly either.
 
Sorry, I missed the part where you said you tried another fsync monitor. With that said, I'm leaning towards the 290x too.

Anyway, good luck with another GPU. Hope that solves your problem. But yah, at 4k, you will need xfire or jump up to Fury.
 
MikeRotch said:
Sorry, I missed the part where you said you tried another fsync monitor. With that said, I'm leaning towards the 290x too.

Anyway, good luck with another GPU. Hope that solves your problem. But yah, at 4k, you will need xfire or jump up to Fury.
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I really don't need to. I can get frame rates that are good with just some minor tweaks to settings and it looks great to me.

Another thing, does Freesync not work in DX9? Or is it only crossfire w/Freesync that is DX10+?

I'm now attempting to download the Freesync demo and try this outside of a game environment. I'd like to see even the barest hint that this is working at all.
 
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